Kirklevington Grange is a resettlement prison with a more relaxed regime than other prisons.

Prisoners are allowed keys to their rooms and are encouraged to maintain and develop links with their families and the wider community.

Maria's father Ron Phillips, 61, was shocked to get a letter saying Jones had applied for transfer to Kirklevington Grange.

Mr Phillips is furious that Jones applied to be moved to only a short drive from where they live.

He said: "We were disgusted to hear about it. He thinks he is the law and that he is above it.

"The fact he might be able to go to an open prison after such a short time is crazy. He got only eight years which equates to one stab wound per month of his sentence.

"I can never forgive him for what he has done."

The letter from the National Probation Service said Jones had "applied for transfer to a category D prison".

It also said that "while at this prison he will receive community visits and may be working in the community".

Ivor Jones's sister, Debbie Robertson, said he had his boys' interests at heart as he wanted to be closer to them, and for them to be able to visit him more easily.

"Ivor is willing to do what he has to do, but for the boys' sake he wanted to cut down the distance they have to travel to visit him in Doncaster.

"The boys also want to be closer to him so they can visit their dad."

Jones admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after claiming Maria had taunted him over an affair she was having but Mr Phillips has campaigned to see the sentence increased.

He met The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, in South Shields in June and received a letter from him saying his daughter's case was "important and compelling".

Mr Phillips also asked Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, to write to the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, to reconsider the sentence.

In a letter to Mr Kumar, Lord Goldsmith said: "I'm already familiar with the case because in June 2005 I considered whether the sentence of eight years imprisonment might be unduly lenient. However, having reviewed the case papers, I decided not to transfer the sentence to the Court of Appeal."